Am I registered to vote?

Nobody is automatically registered to vote: you must register to vote yourself. Even if you pay council tax to us, or have an online Council account, you will need to have registered separately.

If you know your details aren’t on the electoral register, or you’ve moved house, you must fill in a new registration form for your current address. You can do this quickly and easily online at GOV.UK.

It only takes about five minutes, and you’ll need your date of birth and National Insurance Number (but you can still register without it).

Being registered to vote not only allows you to take part in elections and referendums but it also helps in other areas of everyday life, including proof of registration, applying for credit and opening a bank account. For more information, read our FAQ section.

Top tasks

How do I register to vote?

Who can register:

A British or Irish citizen
A commonwealth citizen with permission to stay in the UK (or who doesn’t need permission)
An EU citizen from Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain
An EU citizen from another country who had permission to stay in the UK before 31 December 2020 and has retained that status

What you need to register:

National Insurance number
current address
date of birth
your nationality
Passport details (if registering as an overseas voter)

If you fit the eligibility criteria and have the right documents, you can register your details.

Your details will be compared to the information held by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), if verified your details will be added to the register which can take up to 6 weeks and your information will be available to the credit reference agencies, which could improve your credit profile.

If you have a question about your credit rating/score, you must contact the credit agencies directly. The Elections Office cannot access or amend your credit file.

If you do not verify your identity during the registration process, the Electoral Registration Officer will contact you to request documentary evidence. This may include official documents such as:

A valid passport or driving licence
National Insurance number
Utility bills or bank statements showing your name and address

Providing this evidence helps confirm your eligibility and ensures your name can be added to the electoral register.

Change your electoral registration details

I need to update my…

If you have recently changed name then you need to update your electoral information.

What you might need:

National Insurance number
Date of birth
your passport if you now live abroad and still want to vote
evidence of your name change

Update your name

If you have recently changed nationality then you need to update your electoral information.

What you might need:

National Insurance number
Date of birth
your passport if you now live abroad and still want to vote
evidence of your nationality change

If you vote by post it’s important that you complete a new postal vote application form with your new information as your postal vote doesn’t move with you.

Change your nationality

If you have recently changed address then you need to update your electoral information.

If you vote by post it’s important that you complete a new postal vote application form with your new information as your postal vote doesn’t move with you.

Change your address

Frequently Asked Questions

The quickest way to check if you’re on the register is to ring Electoral Services at 01472 324160 or fill in the online registration check form.

You cannot check on behalf of someone else.

British citizens living outside of the UK for more than six months a year are classed as “Overseas Voters”.

As an overseas voter, you are eligible to vote in:

UK Parliamentary Elections
National Referendums

You are not eligible to vote in local council, Police and Crime Commissioner, or mayoral elections.

You can register as an overseas voter if:

You are a British citizen (including eligible Irish citizens and citizens of Crown Dependencies), and
You were previously registered to vote in the UK, or
You were previously resident in the UK, even if you were too young to register before leaving.

If you moved overseas under the age of 16, you can still register as long as your parent or guardian was registered to vote in the UK at the time.

More information can be found at: Overseas – Register your details or Register overseas – NELC.

If you’re serving in the Armed Forces or are the spouse or civil partner of someone who is, you can register as a Service Voter. This type of registration is especially useful if you’re based overseas or expect to move frequently.

If you have a fixed address within the UK, you can register to vote as normal and apply for a postal vote.

Who can register:

Members of HM Forces (Royal Navy, Army, RAF) serving on full pay
Spouses or civil partners of service personnel
You must be a British citizen, or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen

What you need:

National Insurance number
service number

Armed forces – Register your details

If you’re employed overseas in the civil service or diplomatic service, or you’re the spouse or civil partner of someone who is, you may be eligible for special voter registration as a Crown Servant. If you’re living in the UK, you may prefer to register as an ordinary voter and apply for a postal vote. What you need to register:

National Insurance number
payroll or staff ID number (usually found on your payslip)

You can register:

Online at gov.uk/register-to-vote
By post using a Crown Servant application form

Registration as a Crown Servant voter lasts for 12 months and must be renewed annually.

Crown servant – Register your details

You can still be on the electoral register and vote if you don’t have a permanent home.

This includes people who are:

living in a movable property (boat, caravan or mobile home)
experiencing homelessness
remanded in custody (but not yet convicted)
a patient within a mental health hospital
part of the Traveller community
in the Navy

You must be able to provide an address where you:

Spend most of your time, or
Have a local connection (e.g. a shelter, hostel, or previous residence)

This is done by completing a Declaration of Local Connection.

Complete and sign the form and return to Electoral Services, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU

No fixed address – Register your details

Anonymous registration is available to individuals whose safety would be at risk if their name or address were listed on the electoral register. This includes:

Survivors of domestic abuse
Individuals under threat
Other household members who may also be at risk

Key points:

Your name and address will not appear on the public electoral register.
You will still be able to vote in elections and referendums.
Anonymous registration is valid for 12 months and must be renewed annually.
Your local Electoral Registration Office will contact you when it’s time to renew.

To register anonymously, you must:

Download and complete the application form
Explain why your safety (or someone in your household’s safety) would be at risk
Provide supporting evidence, such as:
- A court order for protection
- An attestation signed by an authorised person (e.g. senior police officer, social worker)

You only need one form of evidence — either a court document or an attestation.

Voting as an Anonymous Elector

You can vote in person, by post, or by proxy
If voting in person, you must apply for a free Anonymous Elector’s Document (a form of voter ID) ahead of polling day

For more details visit the Electoral Commissions website or contact Electoral Services Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU

If you have more than one home, then you need to register at the address where you spend the majority of your time.

If you’re a student you can register your details at your home address and term time address as long as they aren’t in the same locality. Otherwise, you can vote in both local elections but only once in a UK general election or referendum.

You must fill in a new registration form online with your new details.

Change your address

The registrars send the Electoral team a weekly list of registered deaths, if the person wasn’t a resident of North East Lincolnshire then you must tell the elections office at the local council for their area.

No, you can’t currently vote.

From age 16, you can be included on the Electoral Register as an “attainer” by parents or guardians, so that when you turn 18, you are automatically added on to the Electoral Register.

You should register to vote at the home you live in.

If you have an empty property, you have a responsibility to respond to the annual canvass confirming that the property is empty.

The Electoral Register is a list of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections in the UK. It contains names and addresses and is maintained by your local Electoral Registration Office.

There are two versions of the register:

Full Electoral Register

Contains: The name and address of every registered voter (except anonymous electors).
Legal Requirement: Everyone aged 16 or over must be included if eligible.
Used for:
- Running elections (e.g. issuing poll cards)
- Checking credit applications
- Jury service selection
- Preventing and detecting crime (e.g. fraud)

This version is not available to the public, but is shared with:

Electoral administrators
Credit reference agencies
Government departments (for specific legal purposes)

Open Register (also known as the Edited Register)

Contains: Only the details of voters who have not opted out.
Available to: Anyone — individuals, companies, charities — and can be sold for marketing or data verification purposes.
Opting Out: You can choose to opt out of the open register when registering to vote, or by contacting your local Electoral Registration Office.

Opting out does not affect your:

Right to vote
Credit score or ability to apply for loans

How can I view the Electoral Register?

The full register is available to view, under supervision, at Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, DN31 1HU.

You will be asked to complete a declaration form, confirming your details, why you wish to view the register and stating which street you wish to view. You cannot view the whole register, and searching by name is strictly prohibited.

For more background information about viewing an electoral register, visit the Electoral Commission website: Public inspection of the full register | Electoral Commission

How can I buy a copy of the edited Electoral Register?

The edited registered can be sold to anyone requesting it upon payment of the prescribed fee. Contact Electoral Services for more information.

How can I opt out of the Electoral Register?

It’s quick and simple to opt out of the open register, simply compete the form or drop us an email confirming your details and your wish to be opted out. : Opt out now

You cannot opt out of the full register.